President Obasanjo is famous for his loathe of praise singers and sycophants. This is true. But President Obasanjo scored yet another major victory for Nigeria, spectacularly so, in the economic front, as he has secured debt relief, debt relief, which he has pursued with dedication and utmost commitment. His vigorous pursuit of debt cancellation has yielded wonderful result, as the Paris Club of creditors granted the president’s requests!
Minister Okonjo-Iweala, Minister Esther Usman, Professor Soludo the Nigeria central bank governor, and other members of President Obasanjo’s economic team deserve our commendations as well, for their laudable roles in bringing debt relief for Nigeria to fruition! This is the desire of the average Nigerian who has borne the brunt of the stifling and crushing effects of Nigeria’s foreign debts.
It has been the desire and passion of President Obasanjo to bring succor and relief to Nigerians, to remove the hardships and suffering that these debts have brought about, through harsh fiscal measures, and sundry deprivations of public infrastructures and need basic social amenities.
President Obasanjo is surely a smart and brilliant manager of Nigeria’s resources. It is often said in management that smart and savvy managers hire the best fits for the jobs at hand, and in this case, President Obasanjo has certainly surrounded himself with the best brains in the business of administering Nigeria’s economic affairs admirably well.
His good intentions, his passions and efforts are yielding desirable results and profits.
Nigerians will do well to applaud and offer encouragement to the president and his economic team, for the remarkable and spectacular achievement in the department of debt relief, their focus and tenacity culminated in the relief agreed to, in principle, only a few days ago, by the Paris Club of creditors.
Secondly, the president is now free to concentrate on the task, the tough challenge of doing his best for our republic, during the unexpired portion of his second term which run out in 2007, as the Supreme court of Nigeria has removed the legal cloud over his presidency, once and for all. The verdict is in. The Supreme Court has answered affirmatively, that the re-election of President Obasanjo complied with Nigeria’s electoral law, the president’s re-election is therefore conclusively declared fair, proper and legal!
Finally, Nigerians may now start to breathe a little more easily and will be able to appreciate the good intentions of President Obasanjo, he really means well for Nigerians and Nigeria, but our expectation fatigue that has permeated the populace for several decades, has made cynicism and pessimism pervasive mental attitudes.
Some of us, have always been fairly certain, that the multifarious efforts, being made by President Obasanjo and the teams of technocrats that he has meticulously and diligently selected for his government, would bring good results, even if not immediately, in certain areas, but sooner than later in all areas, this, due to the resounding changes and reforms in public policies that President Obasanjo has been instituting since the inception of his government administration. The rules, the policies and processes that are being entrenched now, will yield bountiful results, even long after President Obasanjo retires from the political scene!
As time progresses, it will become clear that the needed changes and reforms being undertaken by President Obasanjo are unarguably essential for the attainment of an advanced Nigeria and a great Nigeria, a Nigeria that we all want and need, a Nigeria that we can all be proud of.
The president clearly has full grasp of what the important issues are, he recently was quoted as saying, a hungry man is an angry man and a dangerous man, loosely, translated, it means the same thing. President Bill Clinton once said here in America, “It is the economy stupid!” In a good economy, Nigerians, will become happily oblivious of the recently exemplified and exacerbated divisiveness of ethnicities, religion, region, citizen, indigene and settler dichotomies, or the loud proclamations of resource control, smokescreen for ineffective officials, who would not even spend what is available on Nigerians in their domain, even as they angles for more national resources.
With these recent achievements, I suspect that Nigerians have now had a taste of the results of the president’s zeal and fervor for a better Nigeria for all Nigerians.
The president and his team, with these resounding victories, in both financial and legal battles, must remain singularly focused, on bring health, wealth and happiness to all Nigerians, the long suffering Nigerians deserves no less!
Congratulations Mr. President! Congratulations Nigerians! Congratulations Nigeria!
Congratulations Mr. President!
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5 comments
sycophantic
it did not capture the full info.
"Nigeria will set up a monitoring system to make sure 1 billion a year saved in a debt deal with its main bilateral creditors is kept for health education agriculture power and water supply according to Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala finance minister. The Financial Times (UK) writes that the scheme is meant to answer concerns about potential misuse of funds from additional aid and debt relief for Africa plans for which were at the center of the G8 summit conclusions. Okonjo-Iweala said the UK's Department for International Development – a key backer in securing the deal – and the World Bank were helping to establish a tracking mechanism to ensure the savings are channeled into priority spending sectors".— Excellent intention for Nigerians back home by the leadership of the finance minister as long as the monies do not disappear at the lower leadership level of the prioritized spending sectors. The spending sectors must be put under a microscope for proper accountability.
Hello Mr paul and good-day.I do enjoy your articles and i hope many that has contact with this organisation do also pay attention to your articles.
I think Mr obansenjo has a moral responsibility to Nigerians because we trusted him with a vote thereby puting the future of nigerians in his hands.therfore he should use this confidence given to him by the Nigeria public to pick the best brains in our society and do things to the best of his knowledge.Nigeria is a very young country and has had about eleven leaders in its life span.many of our past leaders don't understand what posterity means and therefore has not worked for the future of the entire comunity but only to the benefits of their family.
mejority of our Nigerian citizens don't seems to understand or want a better future for themselfs and the entire nigeria comunity our country-men give out their vote for a half bag of rice or N50.what we should be doing nowis to educate nigerians of what is democracry means and how it can improve the life of each and everyboby that has the right to vote in nigeria.
many nigerians also give their vote to candidate because such candidate hails from their village states or tribes that is why Governors like Kanu in one of the easten state is trying to use the Ndigbo society to campan to his favour. do menbers of this organisation know the agenda or programs of Governor Kanu when he became president come 2007 or are they just supporting him because he is an Ibo-man
This and many are the problems of the Nigeria society.to my understanding of Nigeria she needs someone that will re-organize her social struture like what " MAY HIS SOUL REST IN PEACE" Brigadia General Tunde Ideigdon did in his war against indisipline.
I quiet appreciat the work Obasanjo is doing he should not expect rewards from men rather he should allow the future generations of Nigerians to judge his works.People like Obafemi Awolowo will always be presant in he life and history of nigeria come what me.People like General Moritala MohammadAnthony EnahoroBalarabe MusaMoshid Abiola that sacrifaced his life to provoke change in Nigeria. many will not agree with me but they should think where nigeria would been today if moshid Abiola did not choose to stay to defend his right to the presidency or rather choose to stage a civil war ageinst nigerians that voted for him. the same that chalse talour did in Liberia. he has the means and contact. But he chooose to respect the comon Nigerian on the streets after the anulation of the results of june 12.posterity will judge the actions of people like General Babangidasani AbachaShehu ShagariOdumego OjukwuAguyi IronsiKaduna Nzuguect.History will remember us in what ever way we contribute to the re-construction of what will be the brain of the future "WEST AFRICAN STATES".With its capital in oagadugu or Abuja.
receive my regards mr paul.
Paul I can almost agree with you but your comment "….but our expectation fatique that has permeated the populace for several decades has made cynicism and pessimism pervasive mental attitudes"
Rightly said; this is because Nigerians for those several decades have gone through several disappointments and the leader of the present Nigerian leadership was a product of those several decades. Nigerians as human beings have the right to feel cynicism and pessimistic toward any emergence of product of those decades untill the product gives them reasons to feel otherwise.
Obasanjo as a person has grown. As a product he has been able to develop himself into a better brand of considerable quality. Nigerians deserve their leaders to prove themselves and should not accept anything less. By puting together a formidable financial team; an example of the new and emerging quality leadership is a prove of his new mindset. He is a typical example of the saying "he did it the way he knew how when he knew better he did better" He has been blessed with a three time around; the only thing he has to loss now is his legacy. Obasanjo has developed into a listening leader that is why he is progressing. A manager can put together the best team to solve a particular task but if he or she is not a listening manager because of selfishness or lack of trust the team will fail in their task.
More is expected from whom more is given. More Nigerians are giving Obasanjo their trust.
I would like to see monies saved in servicing debt translate into better standard of living for Nigerians at home.